THE GUARDIANS Part One: The Eight
by King of Music 2019
Summary: Fourth in "The War for Creation Chronicles" series. The search for the Guardians of Creation has begun. The only ones who stand between the universe and Rikayla's wrath of eternal darkness wait to be found on Earth. While the Green Ninja searches for the Guardians, Rikayla's dark forces grow in strength and number...
1. I: Another Step

**_Hello, ladies and gentlemen of FanFiction! I apologize for taking a while to get the next story up, but I felt I needed a break. I'm busy and have other obligations, and I wasn't getting reviews so I'm anxious that a lot of people aren't liking it. So given those things, I took a break._**

**_Anyway, this story is fourth in my "War for Creation Chronicles" series. It follows "Reformation," "Revelation," and "The Green Ninja's World." in chronology. I hope you enjoy, and please, do leave a review when you read._**

**_God bless._**

* * *

**THE GUARDIANS.**

**Part One: The Eight.**

_Chapter I. Another Step._

* * *

Rikayla stood atop a mountain in the Realm of Madness. The Queen of Darkness held her weapon, the Hammer of Night, and looked at it with hope in her dark eyes. She spoke, seemingly to the weapon itself.

"A Guardian has been found and taken in, and now she will be trained. The Green Ninja will no doubt find the remaining two as easy as the first. And according to my scouts, Garmadon lives and is on Earth with them, and he is free of the venom of the Great Devourer. Tenebris fought one of the Guardians... he says they are becoming more powerful than was expected. Our fears realize themselves one after another. Perhaps it is time to depart, just slightly, from the rather plain path we have set for ourselves. Perhaps we shall take our own fear and turn it against our enemy. Their numbers grow... so shall ours."

She held the hammer in front of her body, and toward the sky.

"The Imperia have extraordinary strength and their unique ability to steal from Elemental Masters will decimate the Guardians in their final day. But now I need something different."

She turned around and crouched down, waving the Hammer of Night across the ground and watching it expel a dark substance onto the dark soil.

"I have immense strength in my ranks. Now I need a warrior of skill. Her skill will rip the Guardians apart before they can see her coming."

Rikayla stood; before her, a dark female warrior holding two katonas materialized out of purely black dust.

"Stay your swords, warrior," Rikayla commanded. "I am Rikayla, the Queen of Darkness. I created you; you serve me. Do you understand?"

"Yes... my queen," answered the warrior, bowing in respect and adoration. "What is my name, O mighty Rikayla?"

"Your name..." Rikayla thought for a moment. Swords... she has swords; that's her skill. Ferra! That's Latin for sword. That shall be her name."Your name shall be Ferra," the Queen of Darkness declared. "You shall keep up the practice of the blade so as to earn this name."

Ferra bowed in thanks and said, "Thank you, my gracious queen."

* * *

"Now..." said James, holding his hands out. "Concentrate, Zee."

James, Morro, and Zee were in the training chamber of the Elemental Temple. It was a large and tall square room with a fountain in the middle that spouted no water or anything else. Around the fountain were eight circles with a symbol for the Elements Wind, Water, Earth, Fire, Ice, and Lightning, as well as Lloyd's and James's symbols in their own circles. The three were around the Wind Circle, with Zee in the center.

In the week since she received the Guardians' Commission, Zee had become a powerful Elemental Master of Wind. She quickly connected with her Element and mastered powers and abilities she never dreamed of performing.

One ability she struggled to learn, however, was using Wind to lift herself off the ground.

"Why is this so difficult?" asked Zee, becoming a slight bit frustrated with herself. "I lifted that dump truck yesterday afternoon, and unless I've gained a lot of weight since the last time I checked..."

"I know it's frustrating, Zee," James replied.

"It's like the wind I'm moving just won't grab hold of me."

"Is it nerves, honey?" asked Morro, who had been helping his girlfriend learn her powers.

"I mean... I'm a little afraid I'm gonna drop myself."

"You must let this go," James said in a gentle teaching tone. "Fear is our enemy; fear and doubt will corrupt our connection to the Elements if we let it. Why don't you try again, Zee? But this time, don't think about making the wind grab you. Don't think about control. Reach out to your Element and let it reach out to you. When you've made contact, simply rest yourself in the wind's embrace."

"Alright, I'll try again..."

Zee closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She stretched her arms out to her sides, visibly more relaxed than her previous attempts. She slowly rose off of her feet and into the air. James and Morro wanted to celebrate but remained silent so Zee could concentrate. She hovered for a moment and came back down to the floor of the temple.

"Guys..." Zee said, opening her eyes slowly and starting to smile. "I did it!"

"Yes you did, Zee. You did it," James congratulated.

"Zee, I'm so proud of you," said Morro, hugging Zee tightly and kissing her cheek.

"Thanks. Thank you both. Thanks to you two, I can do things I didn't think were possible. And thanks to you, James, I can use a sword and daggers better than I ever thought I would be able to."

"You're quite welcome," replied the Green Ninja with a smile.

"Come on, get in here," Morro invited.

James joined in on what became a group hug.

"Alright," said James. "We need to go back to the house. I need to make an announcement. Zee... you'll like it."

"What is it?" asked Morro.

"Oh, you'll see..."

The three walked out of the Elemental Temple and back into the house by way of the passage in James's room and managed to herd the other ninja into the living room, where all waited to hear the Green Ninja's news.

"Ninja… it's August first and I sense the finding of the next Guardian is upon us. There's just one thing about the way we have to find the rest…"

The group looked at the Green Ninja in confusion as to what he meant by that.

"What do you mean?" Kai asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

"All of you, including Morro and Cole, even though you're 'ghosts,' have to start school at Billingsley School this fall…"


	2. II: More Human

**THE GUARDIANS**

**Part One: The Eight.**

_Chapter II. More Human._

* * *

"SCHOOL?!" the blue ninja asked dramatically after a few moments of silence following the Green Ninja's news.

"We have to go to school to find the rest of the Guardians?" asked Cole.

"Yeah," James replied. "All of you will be seniors except for Lloyd and Nya. Nya will be a junior and Lloyd will be a sophomore. And Zane won't go to school with us; he will stay here and watch the house. He's a robot, he doesn't need school, and someone has to stay here with my mother and guard the house in case Rikayla's soldiers happen to show up. You all don't seem too excited… are you with me?"

"Well…" pondered Kai. "It doesn't sound like it would be that bad going to school..."

"I agree; we already know a lot of the people who would be there," Lloyd added.

"Yeah," said Cole. "So don't be so dramatic, electro-mouth."

"Hey!" shouted Jay, indignantly.

"And they can't know we're Elemental Masters or that we have powers and all that. Some of my most trusted friends know, but keep a lid on it. The world isn't ready; being exposed would complicate things…"

"Makes sense," replied Cole.

"Why do they have to be in school with us?" asked Zee.

"Well," the Green Ninja answered, "I can sense the presence of potential Guardians; but since we have to be really careful about making sure we pick the right people, it's better to look at how nature reacts when more than one of us is around potential Guardians than just trusting my impressions. The Guardians are supposed to be people I'm friends with, and they all go to school with me, so..."

"So you want us to be near you when you're around your friends who might be Guardians? To cause a reaction in nature if they are one?" asked Morro.

"Exactly."

"But James, we're not going to be able to hide from them for long," Morro stated. "If someone touches me, or Cole, they'll go through us and that'll be it for hiding."

"Not necessarily; I have a solution for Cole. When we disguised you, Morro, only sight was fooled in the beholder. But Cole is a Guardian; he can learn to fool all of the senses."

"Wow, that's cool," Cole remarked.

"Do you have a solution for me?" asked Morro.

"You already have your solution," James answered with a hint of a smirk on his face.

"What do you mean?"

"Morro, are you concentrating on sitting on that couch?"

"Well… wait, no I'm not! What?"

Morro moved around on the couch and found that he actually had to concentrate to go through anything now.

"This is weird," he observed. "Usually I have to focus to stay solid and touch stuff, but now—"

"Now, you have become so perpetually happy that it is making that aspect of your curse subside.. So, the solution to keeping you disguised has already been found."

Morro hugged Zee and said, "You make me so happy that I can feel things without giving myself a headache."

"And I can hug you whenever I want!" said Zee.

"You've made me more human... How can I ever repay you?"

"Just don't let me go."

"Never, I love you."

"I love you too, Morro."

The rest of the room simultaneously said "Awww" and Nya put her hand over her heart, saying that Morro and Zee were "the cutest."

* * *

It was the morning of the first day of school and the group was quickly getting ready. It had been about two weeks since they found out they would be attending school at Billingsley, and the ninja had actually grown excited to start. There was only one problem…

"James, how are you and all of your friends going to get to the school?" James's father asked while the group was on their way out the door.

The group only smirked back in response. Suddenly, Lloyd teleported off the porch. Then Jay grabbed Nya and did the same. Zee grabbed Morro and teleported, and everyone else except for the Green Ninja was soon gone from the house.

"Ah, so you did teach them how to teleport."

"Yeah, I taught the Guardians. I didn't get to teach the other Masters yet, but I will."

"You're not teleporting?" asked Ryan, laughing.

"No, I'm going to take my truck as usual to avoid suspicion. And I have to take my brother."

"Avoid suspicion? Won't a bunch of people teleporting to school startle someone at some point?"

"No, because they're not all going to the same place. Morro and Zee teleported to the library; it's not open til 8 so no one is there, but the door opens from the inside. Jay and Nya teleported to the music room, no one is there either. The rest teleported into random bathrooms."

"Is this why y'all insisted on leaving early?"

"Yep, and we'll need to every day."

"Got it. Well, have a good day!"

"I will; it should be a very interesting day."

* * *

_**Please review!**_

_**And I need you readers to give me your opinion on something. I'm planning on writing a backstory for the Green Ninja. It will likely start when he met Garmadon in New Orleans and there will be his and Diana's love story (I haven't given any details about it and she has hardly had a part in these stories, but I'd like y'all to see how important that character is to all this...) and the story will end with the Green Ninja leaving Earth to go to Ninjago. So it will end at the beginning of "Revelation" where the Ninja meet him.**_

_**So my question is, would y'all like to see that now as I continue to write this series (I will be writing both at the same time if y'all want to see that story)? How interested are you in seeing the story of the Green Ninja and how it all builds up to this series? Let me know, please!**_

_**God Bless Y'all.**_


	3. III: The Search Begins

**_Evening, y'all._**

**_Here is another chapter, I hope you all enjoy it. Just a heads up: this story will probably be a good bit longer than the first three, and future stories will also be longer. We are finally to the point where the grand picture start falling into place, so there is more information and there are more events to cover in each section of the series. That in mind, I will try to update more frequently. I have been very busy!_**

**_James, Kai, Cole, Jay, Morro, and Zee are in the senior class. Nya is in the junior class, and Lloyd is a sophomore._**

**_Also, we have a review! Replies:_**

**_Zena: I relate to that on a personal level... I really do. I am so glad to hear you are liking this! I can't wait for you to see; I don't think you'll be disappointed._**

**_On with it!_**

* * *

**THE GUARDIANS.**

**Part One: The Eight.**

_Chapter III. The Search Begins._

* * *

The plan to teleport into random locations in the school was successful; no one suspected that Elemental Masters lived among them. The only ones who knew about the Ninja were the very closest of James's friends, his immediate family, and his girlfriend Diana.

The group entered the cafeteria, where all students were to stay until the bell rung so that the teachers would be ready for them. They sat down at a table with Diana, who was also just arriving to the school. They were the only ones at the table, so James explained the most recent developments.

"So..." she said. "The reason you're all at school is because there are more Masters for you to find, and being with you guys and these other new Masters at the same time will help James figure out who they are?"

"Right," James confirmed.

"... am I one?" she asked, in a teasing manner.

"I don't think so... I'm not detecting an anomaly or anything."

"Darn," she said, snapping her fingers and laughing. "That's okay, I don't need to be a 'Guardian.' I've got my own right here."

She hugged the Green Ninja and the others "Aww"ed at them.

"It actually worries me that I'm not sensing anything here..." James said after the hug.

"Don't worry, James," said Morro.

"Yeah, we probably have to be closer to sense them," Kai added.

"You're right; no need to worry myself" James said.

"And you said no one will be able to tell that Cole and Morro are ghosts?" Diana asked.

"That's right. See, Cole and I figured out how to-"

The Green Ninja was interrupted by the bell signalling that it was time for homeroom. The walk through the hall toward their homeroom (they all had Spanish first period except for Nya and Lloyd) was stopped short when James received a "Good morning!" from a teacher and stopped to chat.

"Good morning, Mrs. Brock. Have a nice summer?"

"I did, and you?"

"It was good, but eventful."

"Oh..." Mrs. Brock leaned in and pointed at the group behind the Green Ninja, continuing in a hushed tone. "These are the ones?"

"Yes ma'am. The Elemental Masters."

"Oh, I guess she knows," said Jay.

"Everyone, this is Mrs. Brock." James introduced. "She'll be teaching us in Physics until Mrs. Mott gets back. She knows about our situation, and she knows your names from a picture I emailed her."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Brock," Lloyd said.

"Same here," Mrs. Brock responded.

"Well, we don't need to be late to class on the first day," said James.

"No, you don't," Mrs. Brock replied. "Better get going."

The group went to class and took their seats. They did not all sit together; they were scattered throughout the classroom. James and Morro sat on the back row, while the rest were randomly distributed. Zee sat in the row in front of Morro; she could easily look over her shoulder to smile at her boyfriend.

A very short Hispanic woman entered the room just as the tardy bell was ringing.

"Buenas dias! Como fue sus siesta?" she asked, showing herself to be quite a bubbly character.

The rest of the class looked at each other, wondering why they were expected to know the answer.

"Bueno, Senora Anderson!" James answered.

**_A/N: I do apologize for the improper punctuation/grammar and lack of accented letters; I don't have access to the characters used in Spanish._**

"Ah, thank you, James," she responded. "Looks like **someone** paid attention last year. Come on guys, this is your second year of Spanish. Gotta know this stuff."

"Si, estan perezoso. No estudian el Espanol."

"Okay, this isn't my second year..." said Morro. "What just happened?"

James translated the conversation for Morro. "She said 'Good morning, how was your break?' I said, 'Good, Ms. Anderson.' Then she said they have to know that stuff."

"I got that, that was English," said Morro.

"Right; then I said, 'yeah, they're lazy,' meaning my classmates up there. And I said, 'They don't study Spanish.'"

"Ohh... okay. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"I ain't fixin' to study Spanish or anything else over summer break," said a student in the room.

"Yeah me neither," added another.

"Y'all didn't study it during school last year, that's the problem," retorted yet another.

"Oh my goodness, everyone here talks like that..." said Morro, referring to the Southern vocabulary and accent.

"I told you, it's the talk of the South."

"Oh well. So how will we know about anyone being a Guardian?"

"That's what I'm afraid of... most of my closest friends are in this room right now, and I'm not feeling anything..."

"It's probably just too soon. Maybe you have to be in private with them?"

"Maybe..."

After an hour of review from last year's Spanish course (it was new information for the Ninja, but they caught on quickly), first period was over and the crew went to second period, ACT Prep. It was the most boring experience the Ninja had ever weathered. After that torture, it was time for break, which Morro thought was pointless because the head lunch lady just screamed the whole time for students just coming in the door to "FIND A SEAT RIGHT NOW OR GET OUT OF MY LUNCHROOM!"

Third period was English, and English class was taught by James's aunt that was almost kidnapped during Tenebris's attack on James's brother's birthday gathering. She, of course, knew the Ninja.

During class, Cole looked to his right and noticed a very pretty blonde girl looking at him. When he made eye contact, however, she quickly looked away. Cole smiled to himself at the idea that a pretty girl might have a crush on him, but had little time to think on it because the bell rang.

When the crew walked into fourth period, it was so hot that the Ninja thought Government class had been relocated to a sauna.

Jay said, "Whoa... what have I learned today?"

"Is it that the Alabama August heat plus a broken air conditioner equals an unpleasant classroom experience?" asked the male teacher sarcastically.

"Uh, yeah..." said Jay, surprised that someone actually went along with one of his jokes. "What's wrong with the air conditioner?" he asked.

"The guy who checked it this morning said something's wrong with the electrical work and it'll take a couple of days to get an electrician down here that can fix it," the teacher answered.

"A couple days? Yeah that's not gonna work. I'll fix it."

"Uh... I'm not sure if I'm supposed to let you do that."

"You said it's electrical right?"

"Yeah..."

"Trust me."

James entered the conversation. "Don't worry, Mr. Thompson; if it's electrical, Jay can fix it."

"Well..." Mr. Thompson contemplated. "Okay, just be careful."

"Don't worry," Jay said, removing a panel from the huge (and very old) air conditioner.

He pretended to mess around with a few things and when he was sure no one was looking, he used his powers to will the electricity to flow correctly and fix itself. The air conditioner immediately began working and cooling the room, and the 25-or-so students broke out in thunderous applause. Mr. Thompson and Jay shook hands, and class began.

After fifth period physics came lunch with the small circle of James's most trusted friends who knew about the Guardians, Rikayla, and the war.

"Are you nervous?" asked one friend, a girl with brown hair coming down just past her shoulders.

"About what?" James followed.

"Fighting this Rikayla you've told me about... she sounds... intense."

"It's not time to worry about her yet. We just have to find these two Guardians... that's what I'm nervous about."

"Well, if there's anything I can do to help, or you just need somebody to talk to, let me know."

"Thank you Michaela, I appreciate that."

Michaela was the Green Ninja's oldest friend. They regarded each other as brother and sister. The others at the table were Diana, Casey, Porter, Darrell, and Kiara.

After lunch, James had music and the other Ninja had agriculture. For seventh period, the Ninja had art, except for James, who had music twice a day.

Eventually, the first day of school ended, and the group returned home.

"So... no clues today?" asked Zee.

"Not even close..." James responded. "Hopefully we'll figure one out soon. If not, we're in trouble. The Guardians are the only ones who can defeat her. And it'll take all eight..."

Morro put one arm around Zee and the other hand on the Green Ninja's shoulder.

"We'll find them, I know it," he said.

* * *

**_Something I thought was funny... I think this is the only chapter I have ever written by far that I named before I started writing it..._**

**_Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Review!_**

**_God Bless._**


	4. IV: Results

**THE GUARDIANS.**

**Part One: The Eight.**

_Chapter IV. Results._

* * *

"It's been a month, Porter... and still nothing."

The Green Ninja met Porter, one of the few of his friends who knew about the war and the Guardians, at the gas station and the friends were talking about the situation.

"It's September already. I feel like she's watching, laughing... and preparing, which is something we cannot do until we find the rest of these Guardians."

James finished pumping his gas, but no one else was at the station, so he and Porter continued talking.

"Didn't you say y'all look for disturbances or something like that?" Porter asked.

"Yeah; nature is supposed to react to the presence of Elemental Masters."

"Well, I don't know much about 'Elemental Masters' and all that, but maybe it ain't just being around you and the others that makes stuff react to them."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when Casey's pipes burst a couple of weeks ago for no reason?"

"Yeah."

"They figured it out... the pipes froze."

James looked at Porter in confusion. "Froze?" he said.

"Froze," Porter repeated. "In late August."

"That is worth notice..." James said.

"That's not even the crazy part."

"What can be crazier than that?" asked the Green Ninja with wide eyes.

"The day after the pipes burst, the ground was wet all the way up to Pleasant Hill and back... and it hadn't rained."

"Oh my goodness... why didn't someone tell me?"

"I guess no one thought anything about it. Hey - ain't water one of the 'elements?'"

"Yes... okay, I'm going to go in and pay for this gas and then you and I are going to Casey's house right now."

When Porter's Jeep and James's truck were out of sight from the gas station, two figures emerged across the street. They were Scio and Dubito, two high-ranking members of the Army of Eternal Darkness.

"Too right you are, Green Ninja," said Scio.

"Our Queen is watching," said Dubito.

"Dubito... time to go get the backup."

Scio used the crystal shard to teleport Dubito and himself away from Earth and back to the Realm of Madness.

* * *

Casey's house was about five miles down the road from Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church. James pulled over at the church, so Porter also pulled over. It was a small church with a simple red steeple and red roof. The parking lot was not paved; it was simple gravel, which suited the very simple scene the simple church created. No one could have ever suspected that this simple place could become involved in such a complicated situation.

"Why did we stop here?" asked Porter, after getting out of his Jeep.

"You said the ground was wet all the way out here. If that's an Elemental anomaly like you seem to think it is... I should be able to sense that it happened here. Well, in theory."

"So... I should probably stop talking?"

James did not answer; he was already concentrating.

"I think... I think this gravel has been touched by Elemental Energy... I need my phone. What day did you say the ground here was wet?"

"Uh... I'm not sure, it was a couple weeks ago. Why?"

"I'm gonna call Nya and see if something was up with her powers around the same time."

"Okay... I'm gonna call my mom and let her know I might be a little later getting home than I thought."

James got his phone out of his truck and called Nya while Porter called his mother, who was also aware of who James really was and of the Elemental war that approached. While James was dialing Nya, Porter already had his mother on the phone; James thought he heard Porter say something like, "I've joined the goose chase so I might be a little late."

Nya finally answered the phone. "Hello?" her voice said.

"Hey, Nya. Real quick, I have to ask you something. A couple weeks ago, I think an Elemental anomaly occurred. Did you experience any faltering in your powers one day a couple weeks ago?"

"You know what... I did. Not last Tuesday but the Tuesday before that, I couldn't use my powers on the pool like I usually can. I had to practice with just a glass of water, and even that was a strain. I just thought I was having an off day."

"Okay, thanks Nya. I'll be home later."

"Okay, bye."

Porter walked over to James, having finished his conversation with his mother.

"James... look," he said, gesturing to his hand. There were water droplets on his hand.

A second later, rain poured from the heavens onto the Green Ninja and his close friend.

"Rain..." said James.

"But the sky is clear! This is incredible..."

"Come on," the Green Ninja said, urgently. "We have to go."

"I'm right behind you."

They drove through the unnatural rain, probably faster than they should have. But the fate of the universe took precedence over the rules of the road at that point.

The fate of the universe... that is a heavy way to say the situation was urgent. At this point, however, the Green Ninja was convinced that the fate of the universe did indeed depend on getting to Casey's house as soon as possible. Not only was he sure that answers waited there, but he sensed an encroaching danger, a darkness that was preparing to strike.

James and Porter arrived at Casey's house. It was still raining, but now the sky was beginning to fill with clouds. Dark clouds... no, not dark. Black clouds. Clouds that looked to give a threat to any that saw them. The sky looked as if the Yellowstone Super Volcano had finally fired, and Alabama was the target. But this was no volcano. These clouds were unnaturally dark, and the Green Ninja's sensing of a dark encroachment only grew.

"I do not like this..." James said, as he walked up the steps to Casey's door.

He knocked on the door, and a voice called out, "Just a minute!"

There was a sudden whooshing sound. Then, Porter shouted, "James! Look!"

James turned around and stared fear in the eyes. All around them, Rikayla's army encircled Casey's house. In a flash of green, James's clothes transformed into his ninja robes with battle armor, and the Green Ninja materialized his sword. It was composed purely of Elemental Energy; it was black and had green symbols on the blade. The Green Ninja took a defensive stance, but the Army simply stood staring. They seemed to be waiting for some cue.

"Porter... get behind me." James handed Porter his phone. "Look in my contacts, send a message to one of the Ninja, whichever one is further up my contact list. Just send 'Casey's house come now,' got it?"

"Got it," said Porter as he frantically looked for one of the Ninja's names in James's phone. "Sent," he said, a few seconds later.

The Army of Eternal Darkness was still as stone. James did not see Tenebris or the Imperia in the mass of dark soldiers. He wondered for what the Army was waiting.

As if the soldiers could hear the Green Ninja's thoughts, they all at once charged at him.

"I'll hold them off until the rest get here! Try to get in the house to safety!" the Green Ninja commanded, as he began to fight the soldiers.

"Okay," Porter called back, knocking on the door vigorously. "Casey! Open the door!"

"I told you just a minute!" Casey's voice yelled through the door. "Is that Porter?!"

"Yes it's Porter just please open the door!" he yelled, knocking on the door still.

He heard the door unlock and finally the door opened.

"Good grief, Porter this is why we don't date anym -"

Casey stopped short when she saw James in ninja robes and battle armor fighting the creatures of darkness. His sword seemed to slice through evil like a hot knife through butter.

"Oh my goodness, what's happening?"

"I don't know, he told me to try to get in to safety."

"Can't we help?" Casey asked.

As soon as she asked, several more figures in ninja robes and battle armor teleported into the fray to help James fight the Army.

"Never mind, they've got this," said Casey. "I'm going inside where there's not an army."

Casey and Porter tried to go into the house, but one of Rikayla's soldiers came through the door, from inside the house, and stopped them. Casey screamed.

The sky was black; the only light came from the security light pole in Casey's yard. Suddenly, all of the dark soldiers stopped fighting the Ninja and cleared a path. Down the clearing holding the Hammer of Night walked the Queen of Darkness herself, with Tenebris, Scio, Dubito, and Ferra following her.

"Oh my..." said Casey. "That's her - that's Rikayla, isn't it?"

"That's right, Guardian," Rikayla responded. At Casey's shocked expression, Rikayla continued.

"Yes... and, oh, what a way to learn of one's purpose... from a dear friend's enemy."

"James, is she right?" Casey asked, still in shock.

"Yes, Casey. That's why I'm here... you're the Guardian of Water. I came here so we could start your training."

Rikayla laughed. "Oh, to believe in the illusion of trust and honor. Why should she have to go with you and endure a rigorous training for little glory in the end when she can be served power and glory on a silver platter in the Realm of Madness? Why not let her choose her path as you and I chose ours? I informed her of her importance, I called her 'Guardian.' Perhaps she trusts me more now, Green Ninja, even if you have known her for all your lives. For what is time? Time is nothing if you are strong enough to learn to ignore it for greater purposes."

The Queen of Darkness approached Casey. Cole, closest to her, took a defensive stance. Rikayla stopped to mock him.

"Earth, the Element of Strength. Pity that the power of Earth finds no home here."

She turned to Casey.

"I told you who you are before he spoke to you, girl. I gave you your purpose in this universe. I will hand you your destiny. Will you fulfill it?" asked Rikayla, walking right up to Casey and extending her hand, waiting for Casey to take it.

"Maybe you're right..."

James started to speak. "Casey -"

"You did call me 'Guardian,' so I guess you did give me my purpose. My purpose is to help defeat you and your darkness. You **were** my friend's enemy; now you're my enemy as well."

Rikayla scowled and said, "So be it... I offered you more than servitude to the laws and bondage of light, but you have instead chosen to perish in the last day of the War for the glory of the Order of Rikayla. So be it."

Rikayla turned to her Army. "We're leaving." She held up her Hammer and the soldiers lifted up their swords. At once, all of them teleported away from Casey's house and out of the Realm, and the sky returned to its pleasant blue color. The rain also stopped because the Guardian of Water had finally been found.

"Something about being in her presence..." Casey said, afraid.

"It hurts on the inside, right?" asked Zee.

"Don't worry, we felt it too," Kai said.

"I think she's getting stronger," Lloyd thought out loud. "She shouldn't be able to teleport like that out of the Realm of Madness, right?"

"I don't know..." James admitted. "But there's something about that Hammer that just isn't right. I think we should meditate on this later. But for now, we have our newest Guardian! That is, if she accepts."

A brief moment of contemplation later, Casey said, "After seeing her and her Army, and hearing everything you've said about her... there's no way I could refuse to join and fight. I gladly accept my role as a Guardian of... what was it?"

"Water," said Jay.

"Thanks. The Guardian of Water."

James let out a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Lord."

He then addressed Casey, "Casey, to become a Guardian and begin to learn the secrets of your Element, you must come to my house and accept the Guardians' Commission so we can start training. We have little time to prepare to fight Rikayla."

"Okay, let's go," said Casey, eagerly.

"And maybe you should tell Mrs. Brandi?"

"Oh, right." Casey then yelled into the house. "MOM! I GOTTA GO TO JAMES'S HOUSE 'CAUSE I'M A GUARDIAN AND HAVE TO TAKE AN OATH!"

"COOL!" a voice yelled back.

The group then went to James's house, where Casey would accept the Commission and become the next Guardian. The Guardians were one step closer to sparing the Realms from the wrath and boundless darkness of Rikayla and her Army.

* * *

_**They finally found another Guardian (and we even got a fight scene in there), Rikayla showed herself and she was in the same scene as the Ninja for once, and that new Guardian stood up to Rikayla and proved that she's not scared of the darkness. A lot happened today! And there's more where that came from.**_

_**I hope y'all are enjoying. Please review!**_

_**Also, everyone go read VickyT36's stories. She has some great work and never fails to impress!**_

_**God Bless.**_


	5. V: Don't Worry

_**Review replies:**_

_**Zena: I'm glad I've amused you!**_

* * *

**THE GUARDIANS.**

**Part One: The Eight.**

_Chapter V. Don't Worry._

* * *

"Why didn't you kill the girl?" Tenebris asked when Rikayla and her Army had returned to the Realm of Madness. "She refused to join us, and she disrespected you."

"Because, Tenebris, think. If I had killed her, the Elemental Energy of Water would have simply found home in someone else and the Green Ninja would find them and we'd be back where we started," the dark queen answered.

"That wouldn't hurt us; that would just be a delay for them and less time to prepare. Is this really strategy or simply some sentimental reverence of human life?"

"Tenebris!" Rikayla hissed. "Mind how you speak to your queen."

Tenebris bowed apologetically.

"I thought you didn't want them to be ready," he said.

"It's true; the date of the final battle is set, and their being unprepared would tip the scales in our favor. However, forcing a relocation of Elemental Energy would not delay them enough to make a difference."

After a pause, Rikayla continued.

"And I am not a murderer; we are not murderers. We are givers, givers of truth. We are restorers; I want as many life forms as possible to see the purity of a universe returned to darkness."

"I understand, my queen."

* * *

"The Realms now have received their Guardian of Water," said James.

Casey repeated the statement.

"Congratulations, Casey. You've officially accepted the Commission, so you're a Guardian now."

"Great job, Case," said Michaela, while Diana gave Casey a high-five. They had both come to the house to see their friend officially become a Guardian. Porter was also at the house, since he was with James earlier.

"Thanks," Casey replied. Then she turned to the Green Ninja and asked, "When do I start training?"

"Tomorrow morning at sunrise," James answered. "Let your mom know you have to stay here tonight and, if possible, move into the house. There's plenty of empty rooms in the hallway."

"Okay, I will. But I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"Why wait until morning?"

"Because I am exhausted," James replied, with a small laugh.

The group then noticed that the Green Ninja did, indeed, look exhausted. They felt somewhat sorry for him. He was the one on whom the responsibility of finding the Guardians, training the entire group, and leading them all into the final battle fell.

"Don't look at me like that... I'm okay, I just need to rest."

"James..." said Cole. "I'm sorry; we've all been all over you about finding the Guardians, but we haven't really been helping you."

"Yeah," Lloyd continued. "If anything, we've only been adding to your stress by constantly asking about it. We're sorry."

"Guys..." said James with kind eyes. "It's okay, really. Don't be sorry. I'm not feeling stressed. And if I were, I would never blame it on you guys. Don't beat yourselves up or think anything is your fault. I'm just tired, okay?"

James smiled tiredly at the ninja, and the ninja smiled back at him. Diana looked sad.

"Can we talk?" she asked James. "In private?"

"Yes, come on."

James took her hand and led her to his room.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I know you said you've got this... and I know that you've got the ninja to help with everything... but worried about you."

"Diana..."

"James, look at you. You told me last night you can't sleep anymore because of the constant visions from the Element Water. Don't you remember two nights ago, I was so worried about you that I had to do something to try and help, so you had to teleport me here so I could be here for you. I had to hold you for an hour because the visions were making you shake."

"Please, calm down. It's okay. The torturous visions from the Element Water will stop now that Casey's been sworn in."

"So the next set of torture dreams will start? For what, Ice? And what about when you have to go back to Ninjago to fight Rikayla? Then I really won't be able to do anything for you."

"Diana, please..."

She sighed.

"I'm sorry..." she said. "I'm worried about you. I know you can do this, I don't have any doubts that you can defeat her. I just hate to see you suffer before you get there..."

"I understand," said James after a pause. "I promise, I'm fine. I know you want to help. If there's anything you can do for me, I will let you know, okay?"

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"James, I love you."

"I love you too darlin'. Are you okay?"

"As long as you are."

James smiled and hugged Diana.

While hugging, Diana said, "If you can't sleep tonight just text me and when I'm ready you can teleport me here. I'll be with you as long as you need me, I'm here for you always. I promise."

The Green Ninja hugged tighter, and so did Diana.

"Thank you," James said.

After the long hug, Diana had dinner with the ninja, Garmadon, Misako, and James's parents and younger brother. After dinner, Diana went home and James was getting ready for bed. He had just finished changing into his pajamas when there was a knock on his bedroom door.

He opened the door and there stood Morro and Zee.

"Hey," Morro said.

"You okay?" asked Zee.

"Yeah, I'm good," said James, sounding tired. "What can I do for you two?"

In the months since the revelation of James being the actual Green Ninja, the ninja had come to look up to James as a mentor and somewhat like a wise older brother. It was common for the ninja to come to him with personal issues and difficult choices. James was glad the ninja trusted him, and he prayed that he was a good leader for them.

"Actually, we were wondering if we could do anything for you," Zee said. "You do so much for us."

"It's alright guys," James responded. "I'm glad to do things for y'all."

"Which is why we were thinking we should ask if we can do anything for you," said Morro. "You always say, 'Be glad in your service to others.' Well, we would be really 'glad' if you would let us do something for you."

James smiled and said, "Alright, what did you have in mind?"

"Tomorrow is Sunday," said Zee. "If you get a good night's sleep tonight are feeling up to it tomorrow, would it be okay if Morro and I took you and Diana out for a double date after church? We can just get away from all this for a whole afternoon. We talked to Diana, she said she doesn't have anything planned and she thinks it would be good for you."

"I would really appreciate that..." James replied. "Thank you."

"Alright, we'll make all the arrangements," Morro said, excited. "You rest!"

"Okay, thank y'all. Good night."

"Good night," Morro and Zee said simultaneously.

* * *

_**What do Morro and Zee have planned for the Green Ninja? Will the day defy all expectations and... go according to plan? *gasp* Return and read the next chapter to find out!**_

_**Please leave a review!**_

_**God Bless.**_


	6. VI: Making it Personal

**_Sorry for such a long wait. But I stayed up pretty late to give y'all this chapter. Enjoy!_**

*

**THE GUARDIANS.**

**Part One: The Eight.**

_Chapter __VI. Making it Personal._

*

For the first time in almost three weeks, the Green Ninja slept without any nightmares imposed by the Element Water, without waking up every hour, and without lying awake for hours on end because of fear that Rikayla would destroy all those whom he loved as soon as he fell asleep. He slept peacefully, and all night.

The Sunday double date that Morro and Zee had put together turned into a triple date when they decided to also invite Jay and Nya to join.

Diana attended a different church than the Ninja, so the plan was to meet after church at Country Mart, which was about halfway between Diana's church, Jones Baptist Church, and Indian Grave Baptist Church, which the Ninja attended.

When Diana got home from church, she changed into clothes that were more comfortable than the dress she had worn to church but fashionable for being out in town. Once she had changed, she went into the kitchen, where she had left her phone, to call the Ninja and let them know that she was on her way to meet them at Country Mart. She picked up her phone and looked for the desired contact.

"Wait just a moment."

Diana gasped and jumped at the unexpected voice. Seated at the kitchen table was a girl her age in a simple dark gray dress that would end at her knees if she stood. She had beautiful soft blonde hair with black highlights. Her skin was light but not pale and it was completely without blemish.

"What do you mean?" asked Diana, relaxing as her initial fright was replaced by confusion.

"You're Diana right?" the strange girl asked.

"Yes."

"Thank goodness, I thought I'd never find you," said the girl standing up. She was tall and slender, beautifully shaped. "I've heard all about you from your boyfriend." The girl paused to take in Diana's appearance. "Wow, he was right. You are beautiful."

"Well, thank you. Can I ask who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Becky. I'm an old friend of James's - like a sister - but I haven't seen him in a very long time. I moved away and just moved back, and I can't seem to find him; I finally gave up! But then I heard he had a girlfriend, who might be a little easier to find. I thought if I found you, you could lead me to him and we could all catch up!"

"Sounds like a plan, I was just about to go meet him and some friends. Come with us, it'll be fun!"

"Are you sure that's alright?" Becky asked, smiling.

"Yeah, I'll let him know I've got a surprise for him."

"Alright... thank you, Diana right?"

"Yep. And you're welcome. I'm excited!" Diana exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Me too," Becky said.

"Wait..." Diana said. "How did you hear all about me if you haven't seen him in a long time?"

"Is that the only discrepancy you noticed, girl?" Becky asked, in a harsh tone.

"You lied to me?" Diana asked

"What other course to take? If I had told the truth you would have sent a message to the Green Ninja as soon as my name left my lips. Instead I lied, and you believed it, allowing me to take this before you can do anything with it."

'Becky' held up her hand and Diana's cell phone flew into it from the kitchen counter.

"You... you're Rikayla... aren't you?" Diana said, trembling in fear.

"Yes, child. I am Rikayla, Queen of Darkness."

Her skin changed color to a moderate gray; other than this, her appearance remained unchanged.

Seeing Diana's underwhelmed expression, Rikayla said, "Did you expect more of my appearance to change?"

"Um... I-I don't know, I guess... you don't really look like I expected. I thought you would be disguised as someone else out in the open -"

"Did you expect me to be ugly? Face scowling? Form hulking? Sucking the light out of the air through which I tread?"

"No, I didn't mean -"

"This is the sin of humanity, its weakness, its downfall. The thorn in the side of every other living species. The light that blinds man from the truth... judgement!"

As she said 'judgement,' Rikayla slammed her fist on the kitchen table, causing Diana to back up. Rikayla saw that she was afraid and relished it. She moved closer to Diana, backing her into a corner.

"What do you want from me?!" shouted Diana, sorely afraid.

"You thought just because I rule over the Realm of Madness that I must be mad-looking? You thought just because I am the Queen of Darkness that I would have an appearance causing me to want to stay in darkness where none can see me?"

Rikayla shoved Diana into the corner.

"I don't want anything that's within your power to give," Rikayla hissed.

"Then why are you here?" asked Diana.

"To make sure you know my face, so that when darkness covers the universe and purity is achieved, you can find me and personally thank me."

"You're insane."

Rikayla's eyes grew wide and she shoved Diana into the wall again.

"You have insulted me. Apologize to me, now," she said, brandishing the Hammer of Night that appeared in her hand. "Or be punished."

"I'm not apologizing to anyone who's just gonna kill me later anyway."

"You know I can't kill you."

Diana was confused. "What?"

Rikayla smirked and backed off a small bit.

"Oh, he hasn't told you?" she asked.

"Told me what?" Diana demanded.

"A steward of truth hides it from his own heart..."

"Why would he keep secrets?"

"I suspect he didn't want you to have to worry about it. You are the key to his success... and mine."

"How?" Diana asked, intrigued.

"The Green Ninja's unfathomable love for you is the very substance of his connection to the Elements. Without you, the connection is weak. Your love makes him strong."

"Wow... and how am I the key to your success too?"

"You are surely thinking that since you make him strong, I would be better off murdering you."

At this, Diana swallowed hard.

"However, if I murder you I will have shattered the heart of the Green Ninja and the Elements would cry out. The Elements would despise me for practically destroying their chosen entity's connection and would not respond to me. I have to use my powers of Darkness in junction with the Elements to purify the universe. So, if I murder you, I lose most of my powers and cannot bring my gift of darkness to the Sixteen Realms."

Diana only stared at Rikayla with anger burning in her eyes.

"You are pure evil," Diana finally said. "Get out of my house, now."

"You threaten me?" Rikayla calmly asked, her back to Diana.

"When James doesn't get a message from me soon, he'll know something is wrong and come here."

Rikayla faced her. "Then send him a message."

She tossed Diana her phone. "Everything is alright, busy afternoon."

After a moment of contemplation, Diana said, "No."

"What did you say to me?"

"I said 'no.' I won't lie to him."

"Reconsider your current course, girl," ordered the fuming Queen of Darkness.

"I won't do it," Diana defiantly stated.

Rikayla forced Diana back into the corner and said, "Hold out your arm."

"No."

Rikayla repeated the command, yelling in her face. "HOLD OUT YOUR ARM!"

"No!"

At once, Rikayla backhanded Diana's face with the hand that was not holding the Hammer of Night. She then grabbed Diana's arm and turned it so that her wrist faced upwards.

"You shall learn to obey me! For in the day of my darkness I shall rule you, scum!"

Rikayla held the Hammer to Diana's under-forearm and Diana screamed out in so much pain that the Elements cried out for her.

*

The Green Ninja had become worried. It was twenty minutes past twelve, and he had not received the message from Diana that he should have received twenty minutes ago. He had sent a message asking if everything was okay, but the message was showing that it was 'delivered,' not 'read.'

"Still no message?" asked Morro.

"No," James replied. "And something is wrong. I feel uneasy..."

"Uneasy?" Zee asked.

"I don't know, it may be nothing. I'm probably just being..."

James trailed off as he felt a dark presence.

"Rikayla is in this Realm, hurting someone..."

Zee and Morro looked at each other and held each other's hand for comfort.

A terrified and painful scream echoed through James's head.

"Diana!"

The Green Ninja ran outside and jumped into the sky in the direction of his beloved's house, changing midair into his Green Ninja robes and battle armor. After changing, he teleported.

*

After screaming and convulsing in pain for about ten seconds, Diana began to lose consciousness. Just before she blacked out, Rikayla stopped torturing her. Diana used the last of her strength to look up and see the Green Ninja standing in her kitchen just as her vision faded.

As soon as Rikayla saw the Green Ninja, she stopped torturing Diana and used the Hammer of Night to throw the Green Ninja through the wall into the yard, creating a gaping hole in the house.

Rikayla exited through the hole and fled the Realm of Earth.

James entered the house as the other Guardians were arriving. Diana's family heard the commotion and came into the living room to see what was happening. They noticed Diana unconscious on the floor and her aunt almost picked her up.

"No!" James shouted. "Rikayla tortured her; she might have darkness inside her."

"Rikayla, the Queen of Darkness was here?" a relative asked.

"Yes," answered James.

James rolled Diana onto her back and held his hands out over her.

"Why can you touch her? Does that mean she's good?"

"This armor protects from the effects of Anti-Elemental Energy, which is the 'dark' in her dark powers."

He detected something dark in her forearm and examined it, seeing darkness moving in it.

"Yes, there is darkness in her..."

He touched her forearm and the darkness in it seemed to flee from his touch as it moved away from where he was touching her.

"I'm going to carry her to her bed and get this mess out of her. Lloyd, come with me."

"Right," Lloyd said.

James carried Diana bridal-style into her room and laid her gently onto her bed. Lloyd followed.

"I'll expel the darkness from her. I will force it to collect in one place in the air and you have to destroy it."

"How?" Lloyd inquired

"Do what you did in your battle with the Overlord. And I can't keep it collected for more than about a minute. If I lose it, it will go back into her... and stay there."

"Right... let's do this."

James held out his hands and the darkness within Diana was ripped painlessly from her and collected in a formless blob of black matter about a foot above her.

"Now, Lloyd!"

Lloyd quickly created a beam of light that consumed the darkness and collapsed on it, destroying it.

Diana violently jolted awake, breathing heavily but relieved to feel no more pain.

Lloyd sighed in relief while James was silent.

"I'm gonna let them know you're okay and to give you two a few moments," said Lloyd, leaving the room and closing the door.

Diana stood up from the bed and she and the Green Ninja embraced desperately. Diana sobbed into his shoulder while he rubbed her back to comfort her.

"Shh, I'm here. It's okay," he said.

They stood there for ten minutes. After about two, Diana's tears had slowed and she merely shook in place while clinging to her most loved one for strength.

"I am so very sorry that this happened to you," James finally said.

"Don't be," said Diana. "Thank you for coming for me. How did you know?"

"I heard you."

"You heard me?"

"In your pain, the Elements cried out, producing an echo of your scream. And I heard it, so I came here immediately."

"Well, however it all works... thank you James."

"You're welcome."

"Tell me something," said Diana, still weak but separating from the hug. "Is it true that I'm 'the key' to all this?"

"Yes... she told you that?"

"Yeah."

"It's true, Diana, you are the key. As I have pledged my heart to you, so have the Elements. Our relationship greatly affects the Elements because of how much I love you, and how loved you have made me feel."

"Aww, that's so sweet."

"It's just the truth, my love."

James put his hands on Diana's sides and pulled her close.

"It's okay, you're okay now."

He kissed her forehead and then their lips connected for several seconds. When the kiss ended, James looked deeply into Diana's eyes.

"I love you, know that," he said.

"I love you too, always," she said, smiling at him.

When she smiled, however, she winced in slight pain. It was at this moment that James noticed some redness on Diana's right cheek. It appeared to be a little swollen as well.

"Diana... did she hit you? Physically hit you? In the face?"

"Yes..."

Without saying anything else, James walked out of Diana's room and into the living room where her family and the Guardians were waiting.

"She's fine. If any of y'all see anything strange, please call me. Guardians, we need to go."

Diana's family thanked the Green Ninja and the Guardians and went to check on Diana when they left.

In James's room, Morro asked the Green Ninja, "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not. She went too far; she made it personal. For the first time in my life, I feel like hurting a living being."

"I'm sorry. At least you were able to fix what... she... did to Diana."

Morro apparently did not want to use the villain's name.

"That's the thing, Morro. I couldn't!"

"James, you got the darkness out of her."

"I know, but that's not all she did to her... She hit her, Morro. In the face. She hit my angel in the face."

James sat down on his bed and put his head in his hands, not crying but not making any sound. Morro sat beside him and put a hand on his back.

"James... I'm sorry..."

*

**_So, halfway through the series you finally get a description of Rikayla's physical appearance. Which was not an accident! What are your thoughts on the fact that the evil Queen of Darkness is actually beautiful? Let me know!_****_As always, I ask that you review as you read._****_God bless y'all!_**


	7. VII: Comfort

**THE GUARDIANS.**

**Part One: The Eight.**

_Chapter VII. Comfort_

* * *

James spent the rest of the afternoon - from about 1:15 - in his room by himself. He felt guilty for what happened to Diana; he knew that Rikayla only hurt her because of how much he loved her.

He tried to meditate to clear his head, but the visions of Ice were starting to fill the Green Ninja's mind and would not let him meditate in peace. So he just sat on his bed. Alone.

At 4:00, there was a knock on James's bedroom door. No one had been checking up on him because he asked to be alone for a while, so he thought it might be important.

"Come in," he said, quietly.

The door opened and Morro and Zee entered the room.

"Are you okay?" Zee asked.

"No, it's my fault she was hurt," James replied.

"But she's okay now," said Morro. "Don't punish yourself. You had no way of knowing that would happen, but you showed up as soon as you could, and you fixed her. And as soon as Rik -"

"Don't... please, don't use her name. I can't deal with hearing it right now..."

"I'm sorry..." Morro apologized. "As soon as... she.. saw you, she blasted a way out and fled. She was afraid of us."

"No, Morro... She left because was satisfied. She got what she wanted, she hurt my angel... Diana is innocent, and she was hurt. And I didn't sense it until it was too late..."

The Green Ninja put his face in his hands. Morro and Zee looked at each other before Zee sat beside James.

Zee put a hand on James's shoulder and said, "Hey... look at me."

He obeyed and Zee continued.

"You and I have been friends for a very long time, and you have always taken all of the blame of every bad situation onto yourself. Every time something bad happens, even when you know it's not your fault, you take the heat. I know you do it so no one else has to deal with it, but you don't need to be punishing yourself for the deeds of our enemy. That's why she's our enemy."

"You're right... I'm sorry."

"Why?" asked Morro.

"Because I've made myself miserable because of my guilt over letting Diana be hurt, and that makes you guys worry. Thank you for coming and talking to me."

James stood up from the bed.

"You're welcome," said Zee.

"I used to think - hope - that, beneath the darkness, there was some good in her... but now I see. She is willing to hurt completely innocent people just to strike a low blow at us. If that's how she's going to operate then there's no choice. She has to be destroyed."

"Yeah..." Zee said.

"You gonna be okay?" asked Morro.

"I'll be fine," James answered.

"Alright, we're gonna leave you to your thoughts. If you need somebody, please say so," said Zee, closing the bedroom door behind Morro and herself.

Immediately after the door closed, the Green Ninja fell onto the floor on his hands and knees and the room froze over. Sheets of ice covered the walls and floor, snow fell from the ceiling, and the room became very cold.

* * *

"He still feels guilty," said Morro.

"I know..." Zee replied.

The two had gone to the living room after leaving James's room and were now sitting on the couch.

"I'll be back, baby," said Morro, standing up.

Zee stood as well. Morro kissed his girlfriend on the cheek and turned to leave, saying, "Don't wait up."

"Wait," said Zee, turning Morro back around by his arm. "If it's gonna be a while..."

They smiled at each other and she pulled him in for a long, tender, affectionate kiss.

"I love you," said Morro.

"Love you too, be careful," said Zee.

"I will."

* * *

_James was in an ice __fortress. In the ice walls he saw not his own reflections, but the image of Tenebris. He expected to see Rikayla, but saw no hint of her. Still, he could feel the darkness closing in upon him through the ice. He searched desperately for an escape, but kept ending up in the same room, a room that had an ice throne in the middle surrounded by smaller chairs._

_The Green Ninja became angry and smashed an ice wall, revealing a new room. He walked into it; this room was more inviting but he sensed a dark presence inside. The room was lit by torches on the wall and there was a strange blue energy coming from small cracks in the stone floor and walls. The hole in the wall through which James had entered was no longer there. Suddenly, the ground shook and darkness rushed in through the cracks, corrupting the blue energy and turning it black._

_When the Green Ninja looked at the only door in the room, he was confused by the sight he beheld. Through the door came charging many tigers and a mammoth, accompanied by a large figure whose appearance was distorted._

* * *

Diana was handling the events of the afternoon better than the Green Ninja. She was not shaken because she trusted the Guardians, especially her personal Guardian, to protect her. The wall that the Queen of Darkness had blasted out repaired itself earlier when the Guardians left the house, so everything was normal She was about to start getting dinner ready, as it was her night to cook, when her aunt informed her that she should take the night off from chores because of what happened.

"Thanks, but I'm fine," Diana assured.

"I know, but I want you to take it easy tonight," her aunt insisted. "Please? For me?"

"Alright... thank you," Diana smiled.

"No problem," her aunt responded, smiling and starting dinner.

Suddenly, there was a gust of wind within the house and Morro appeared in the living room, looking desperate.

"Morro?" Diana asked.

"Hey Diana, how are you?"

"I'm fine, are you alright? You look... stressed."

"Yes I'm okay, but I'm worried about James."

"Me too... he feels bad about earlier even though I told him it's not his fault and I told him not to feel bad. I must have typed 'Don't feel bad' a million times since then..."

"He really cares about you. It hurt him deeply to see that she hurt you."

"He looked ready to murder Rikayla when he saw she'd hit me..." Diana said, holding her hand up to show Morro where the Queen of Darkness had struck her.

"Yeah... and I know you texted him a lot not to feel bad, but I think he might need it to be more personal than that if he's gonna be okay."

"Diana, are you needing to go to James's house?" Diana's aunt asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah... he needs me."

"Go to him, don't worry about getting back before dinner. If he needs you, be with him."

"Thanks, Aunt Lou Lou."

Diana hugged her aunt and Morro teleported them out of Diana's house and into James's living room. Zee was no longer on the couch or anywhere else where she could be seen at the moment. Morro and Diana went down the hallway and stopped in front of James's door.

"I'm gonna go to my room," said Morro. "Gotta work on this history paper."

"Only September and Mrs. Tillerson already has you working on Sunday night," Diana laughed.

"Yep, good luck."

"Thanks, you too."

Morro disappeared into his room next to James's and Diana prepared to enter the Green Ninja's room where she would try to console him. When she opened the door, she saw the Green Ninja on his hands and knees, convulsing in the icy floor. As soon as she had noticed the ice around her, it began to disappear. When it was gone, the Green Ninja bounded backwards and landed on his back, face covered in fear.

"James!" Diana exclaimed, entering the room and shutting the door behind her. "Why were you in the floor? And why was there ice everywhere? Where did it go?"

James breathed heavily, still laying on his back.

"Sorry..." said Diana. "Tell me, what happened?" she asked, helping James to sit up and then sitting in the floor beside him.

"It's time to find the last one, the Guardian of Ice. Until we do, I'll have torturous visions from the element."

"Oh my goodness... is there anything I can do?"

"The visions can attack at any time if I'm by myself."

"Then... you're not gonna be by yourself until you find the last Guardian. I promise."

"Diana, you can't stop doing all your responsibilities to be with me all the time. I'll be fine."

"I still want to do as much as I can... why didn't the other Elements do this to you?"

"The other Elements aren't Ice. Ice is the most unstable of the Elements, its power is linked to the part of the emotional spectrum that includes despair and loneliness. So when I'm alone it can attack."

"Okay... promise me you'll tell me when you need me? Please?"

"Okay, I promise," James said, actually smiling at her.

He stood up and helped her up.

"You know," Diana said. "Morro brought me here to make you feel better. What happened today is not your fault, James. Please believe that, and please don't feel bad about it."

"Okay... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made myself so upset about it... if you're okay, then I can be okay."

"Are you sure?"

"For you, yes."

"So you're okay?" asked Diana, smiling.

"Yeah, darling. I'm okay."

"Good."

They hugged and James thanked her for coming and kissed her. She departed from his embrace and took out her phone. Diana figured that the main problem for James would be being alone at night.

"I'm gonna stay with you tonight, okay? You can teleport me home in the morning so I can get ready for school. I'll let my aunt know." Diana said.

"Okay... thank you, but you can't every night. You have other things to do."

"I know, maybe your friends would camp out in the living room with you sometimes? We'll figure it out, you're not gonna be alone at night."

"You're so wonderful... I adore you," James said.

"Just doing what I can, I love you too much to do any less."

"I love you too, thank you for this."

"You're welcome, James."

Diana informed her aunt that she would be spending the night at the Green Ninja's house. Her aunt was unsure about this at first, but when Diana explained the situation (and reminded her of the part of the Guardians' Commission that expressly prohibited sexual activity until such time as the war with the Queen of Darkness is over), her aunt was more than willing to allow it.

All night, there was peaceful sleep for everyone. The next morning, James teleported Diana back to her house and all was well.

That day, on September 16th, 2018, the Element Ice was satisfied. For on that day, a Monday like any other, the final Guardian was revealed.


	8. VIII: The Last of the Eight

_**I am so terribly sorry for how long it has taken me to post this chapter! I suddenly became even more busy than I usually am and it just all hit at once. I hope you're still with me! If you are, you're AWESOME!**_

_**As you can probably gather from the title of this chapter, we are nearing the end of this part of the series. I hope you enjoy and will leave reviews for me, and I hope you'll stick with me through the rest!**_

_**Enjoy.**_

* * *

**THE GUARDIANS**

Part One: The Eight.

_Chapter VIII. The Last of the Eight._

* * *

Most people on Earth hate Mondays, but the Green Ninja loved them. He enjoyed getting back into a regular schedule after the weekend, and he loved being in contact with his friends after being away from them for two days.

Today, however, would be a Monday enjoyed for more reason than a return to pleasant regularity. Today, the Guardians would finally tip the balance in their war with the Queen of Darkness.

During the second class of the day, the teacher sent James and Morro on a mundane quest to retrieve her broom from the art teacher who had borrowed it. As they walked toward the art room, the Green Ninja had an odd feeling that was similar to what he felt before going to Casey's house only days ago.

"Morro..." James said.

"What? Something wrong?" Morro asked.

"The time is upon us... I think."

"You mean... the last Guardian?" asked Morro, hope in his eyes.

"I think so... I had this feeling on the way to Casey's house. But the Army of Eternal Darkness was also approaching..."

"So... you're either feeling the presence of an Elemental Master or the presence of the AED?"

The ninja had started referring to Rikayla's army, the Army of Eternal Darkness, as the AED for short.

"No, wait..." James said, stopping his walk and closing his eyes.

"I sense no darkness..." he continued. "But I sense that something strange is occurring nearby... right there."

The Green Ninja pointed to the wall near the art room.

"In the wall?" asked Morro.

"No, I think that's where the art room closet should be. Let's go."

James and Morro went into the art room and asked the art teacher where the borrowed broom was. She told them it was in the closet and that she had an errand to run. It was her planning period, so she had no students at that time. As James and Morro approached the closet door, it iced over and shuffling could be heard from within.

_20 minutes earlier..._

"Hey Kiara," said Darrell as he nudged his girlfriend in the hallway before second period started. "You know, the break room is closed and locked up during this period... and I got a key."

Darrell smirked and Kiara giggled. "What are you telling me that for?"

"I don't know," said Darrell, bashfully. "I thought maybe we could sneak in there and kiss a little, since we haven't gone out for a little while."

"Well... alright," said Kiara, smiling.

_20 minutes later..._

James and Morro approached the frozen door with caution. The sense that a great energy was behind the door grew stronger with each step the pair took.

As the Green Ninja touched the doorknob, the visions of Ice he had been having all burst across his sight in one moment. Suddenly, the door was thrown open, seemingly of its own accord, and the face of the Guardian of Ice was revealed.

When the snow and ice had cleared away from the remarkable display of the power of Ice, there stood Darrell and Kiara; they were wrapped up in each other's arms and appeared infinitely confused, as if they had no idea where they were.

"Um..." Darrell finally mumbled. "Why are we in the art teacher's closet?"

Morro replied, with a smirk, "It looks to me like the two of you came here in search of a private moment during Ms. Bullard's planning period."

"No," said Kiara, sternly. "We were doing that in the break room."

Darrell facepalmed.

"But how did we get in here?" Kiara asked.

"I have an idea about that," said James. "Follow me."

"Wait, James," Morro said, grabbing the Green Ninja's arm. "Mrs. Veazey's broom?"

"The broom can wait; the fate of the Realms hangs in the balance."

"What the heck?" Darrell exclaimed.

"Listen," said James in the calmest voice he could muster at the time. "I told you guys I'm searching for the Guardians and that all that's left is the last one. Well, you two just gave me a big lead. I need you two to come with me to the break room, quickly."

"He's insane, right?" asked Kiara.

"Probably, but he knows what he's doing," Morro replied.

The four friends walked to the break room and found two teachers and Mr. Stubbs, the school custodian, congregated around the door. The teachers were Mrs. Veazey and Mrs. Brock.

"James? Morro? Kiara? Darrell? What are you all doing out here?" Mrs. Brock asked.

"I sent James and Morro to get back the broom Ms. Bullard had borrowed from me," said Mrs. Veazey. "I'm not sure what Darrell and Kiara are doing."

"We can deal with that later; we need to figure out what's going on with this door," Mr. Stubbs said urgently.

As James and his friends came closer to the break room door, they saw that it was frozen over just like the door to the art closet had been.

"It's nothing to worry about," said James.

"How would you know?" asked Mr. Stubbs.

"Mr. Stubbs, Mrs. Veazey, I'm sorry about this, but I'm afraid I can't have you knowing yet about everything that's going on."

Before they could protest, James sent a small bolt of lightning from his hands into Mr. Stubbs and Mrs. Veazey. Neither were hurt, but both faces were suddenly calm and passive.

"Well, I'll be going back to my classroom," said Mrs. Veazey.

Mr. Stubbs nodded and expressed concern about the lunchroom floor needing to be swept.

"What was that?" Mrs. Brock, who remained, asked.

"The brain uses electricity to function; therefore, the Element of Lightning can be used to affect it. I removed their awareness of this door being frozen and inserted an urgency to get back to work so that they wouldn't notice it again."

All present were satisfied with the Green Ninja's response, but could tell by his expression that he did not like tampering with others' minds.

Desiring to change the subject, James continued, "I've found the last one, Mrs. Brock. It's one of these two. That's why this door is frozen, the Element of Ice is reacting."

"Wait," Darrell spoke up. "You mean to say that either me or Kiara is the last Guardian?"

"Yes... you recall what I told you of the Elements' connection being one of the heart? It's why all the new Guardians have turned out to be my best friends. And it's why this door is frozen. It's also why the two of you were transported to Ms. Bullard's closet during your... moment alone."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," said Mrs. Brock.

"Oh come on, we barely kissed before a blizzard basically started raging in the break room," Kiara defended.

"Kiara, I need you to do me a favor," said James. "I can get rid of this ice without any problem, but we need it to reveal the last Guardian for us. If I destroy it, the search will continue and we'll have no way to know for sure who the last Guardian is."

"What's the favor you need from me?" asked Kiara.

"I need you to touch that ice."

"... What's gonna happen when I do?"

"I don't know, but the ice's reaction to you will give us a clue as to what our next move should be."

"Okay..."

Kiara slowly extended her hand toward the door, unsure and afraid of what would happen when she made contact with it. There was an unexplained nervousness in Darrell's heart; he felt a strange desire to touch the ice himself. When Kiara's hand finally touched the ice, it was the coldest sensation she had ever felt. Other than that, the scene did not change.

"It's cold," said Kiara.

"Do you feel anything?" Morro asked, directing the question to the Green Ninja whose eyes were closed.

The response came quietly and was accompanied by a face of confusion: "I sense that the Element of Ice desires fiercely to react, but is unable..."

Suddenly, the Green Ninja felt something. The Element of Ice was crying out for its approaching Guardian. As James opened his eyes, he saw Darrell approaching the ice with his hand extended towards it.

"Darrell?" asked Kiara, afraid because of the obsessed expression on Darrell's face.

"Kiara..." said James. "Let him touch it."

Kiara moved out of the way and Darrell slowly closer to the ice.

"This is it... I feel it. It's Darrell; he's the last Guardian."

The Green Ninja did not whisper the words; they were easily audible, but Darrell did not hear them. He only saw the ice and heard an indistinct voice telling him to touch it.

Darrell obeyed the voice and touched the ice, and it instantly shattered into such small pieces that it appeared as a fine powder that filled the hallway. Suddenly, the powder became luminous and rushed into Darrell, filling him with the power of his Element.

"Darrell..." started the Green Ninja, a huge smile upon his face. "You are the Guardian of Ice."

* * *

Darrell met the other Guardians and Elemental Masters at James's house that afternoon and took the Oath of the Guardians just as the others had done. When the circle was broken, however, something new happened: the Guardians were instantly transported into an unfamiliar room in the Elemental Temple. There were eight blinding lights in the middle of the circle that corresponded with each Guardian. When the lights settled into the floor, the symbols of the Guardians were engraved into the beautiful marble. The symbols were of the colors matching the Elemental colors of each Guardian; gray for Zee of Wind, purple for Casey of Water, brown for Cole of Earth, red for Kai of Fire, white for Darrell of Ice, blue for Jay of Lightning, gold for Lloyd, and green for James.

"Guardians, this is the Gold Room," said James. "It is here that we will focus and discover the locations of the Golden Weapons in this Realm. Each Golden Weapon we recover will reveal the location of the next. The first weapon is Zee's, the Daggers of Wind. The way this works is that Lloyd and the owner of the next weapon, in this case Zee, will meditate in the Gold Room. Lloyd has some authority over the essence of the Golden Weapons and can force them to reveal some information regarding their locations, but only if the Weapon's rightful owner is in the room and all previous Weapons in the Elemental Cycle are present. The Elemental Cycle is Wind, Water, Earth, Fire, Ice, Lightning. My Weapon, the Super Bolt, will reveal itself in the presence of all six Golden Weapons in the Gold Room."

The Guardians nodded their understanding and, together, made their way out of the Temple and back into the house. They explained to the others what had happened and why they suddenly disappeared from the living room. When they finished their explanation, a terrible shaking commenced.

The group looked out the window and saw a giant black cloud spreading throughout the sky.


	9. IX: Revenge

**Hey guys, it's me, new chapter, here ya go!**

**But before that, some business:**

**Thank you VickyT36 for your reviews! I have been experiencing some sort of trouble with PMs and reviews; my PMs won't send, and my reviews won't post! But I did enjoy reading your recent updates. I hope you enjoy this chapter of the story!**

**Everyone, enjoy the chapter and leave your thoughts in the reviews.**

* * *

**THE GUARDIANS**

**Part One: The Eight.**

_Chapter IX. Revenge._

* * *

It happened all so fast, too fast for anyone to have reacted quickly enough.

The cloud of darkness formed north of Billingsley and seemed to spread radially through the upper atmosphere.

A jet of darkness shot from the clouds into the ground. The jet landed a few miles beyond a large tree line, but the Guardians knew that the only point of interest in that direction was Clanton, and the only explanation for a jet of darkness shooting into Clanton was the Queen of Darkness herself.

Without hesitation, the Guardians teleported out of the house. James was sure to grab hold of Darrell so that he could see what they were up against.

When they appeared in Clanton, all of the Guardians—including Darrell—were clad in battle armor that they had not seen before. James explained that the Elements' joy over their chosen ones being found manifested itself in new armor for said chosen ones.

There was no time to marvel at the new armor once the Guardians beheld what had taken place.

Rikayla's soldiers took the place of the everyday people of Clanton. The Guardians prepared for a fight, but the new residents simply milled about their day, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

James told Darrell to stay close to Cole because Cole could make a rock fortress to keep Darrell safe if an attack were to ensue.

Zee suddenly felt cold inside. She turned around and was met by the eyes of evil.

Tenebris knocked Zee unconscious as soon as their eyes met, and it was only when he had her hoisted over his shoulder that the Guardians realized what was happening.

It happened too fast.

The Guardians moved to fight Tenebris, but that was when the attack finally came. Suddenly, the Imperia, the "special forces" of the Army of Eternal Darkness, seemingly came out of thin air and began fighting the Guardians. There was one present for each of the remaining Guardians, suggesting that they planned on capturing one of them but that they were not aware of there being a new member.

As the fight ensued, Tenebris slipped away, open a portal with a blue shard. Just before he could go through it and escape the fight, he was knocked to the ground.

Darrell had digressed from James's suggestion to stick close to Cole and went after Tenebris when he saw that the Guardians would not be able to do so. He tackled Tenebris, causing him to drop Zee who now lay a few feet away from them—and held him down, trying to get the strange crystal from him, but mostly trying to keep him away from Zee. The portal was still open.

A mighty wind came from the portal and blew Darrell off the dark commander. The portal spilled out black smoke, some of which stood like a pillar upon the ground in front of the portal.

"Commander," came a powerful female voice from the pillar of smoke. "Go get that policeman and wait for me in our Realm. I'll take it from here."

"As you wish…" said Tenebris with a bow before using the crystal to teleport out of the scene.

The Guardians and the Imperia continued to battle many feet away.

"That was quite a display of bravery," said the pillar, forming into the shape of the Queen of Darkness.

"Let me guess, you're a new Guardian," she said, sarcastically and with a sharp sigh.

"You must be Rikayla…"

"Indeed, I am Rikayla, Queen of Darkness, bane of the light, purifier of the universe—"

"Honestly, I'm not impressed," Darrell interrupted.

"Hah. Wit, that's very nice. I'm so entertained right now that I'm considering not doing what I'm about to do," Rikayla said with a small smirk.

"Whatever it is, I'll keep you from doing it," Darrell said, defiantly.

Rikayla laughed cruelly and held up the Hammer of Night. Darrell flew several feet in the air and hung there, upside down.

"No, boy. You'll _watch_ me do it. All those heroics, but it doesn't matter because you couldn't even see past your own eyes to know the truth. You see… those "soldiers" milling about this town aren't soldiers at all. It's an illusion—my illusion. And it's your fault that it worked to distract all of you. I used _your_ underdeveloped senses to fool everyone. And now you've brought a terrible fate upon this friend of yours that you tried so desperately to save."

"If you kill my friend, I'll—"

"This girl has caused me too much trouble to deserve my mercy in the form of simple death. The first of the new Guardians… if it weren't for her falling for the other Master of Wind, I might have already purified a quarter of the universe by now. But now, because of you Guardians' presence in the world, I must wait for you to find the Super Bolt so that I can steal it and use it. But now it won't matter; you'll have to find a new Guardian of Wind after today. You'll have to watch her slowly slip into madness, overwhelmed by the pain, the fear… and the Darkness!"

Rikayla shouted the last part and shot darkness into Zee's body, much more than the meager dose she injected into Diana.

Zee instantly awoke and screamed, but there was no sound. Her body convulsed and the Queen of Darkness laughed as she injected more of the Darkness into the Guardian of Wind.

Then, green energy blindsided Rikayla and the flow of Darkness stopped; she dropped the Hammer. The Green Ninja had blasted her off her feet and onto the ground. Darrell fell to the ground and immediately rushed to Zee.

"Don't touch her! The Darkness penetrated the armor, which means it can probably hurt you too!"

This was all the Green Ninja could say before Rikayla drew a sword that looked to be made of crystal. It was dark and translucent, beautiful and deadly. James dueled her with his own black sword adorned with ancient elemental symbols.

Darrell saw the Imperium James had been fighting trying to sneak up on Kai while the latter was fighting another one. Darrell focused hard on honing his senses to Ice and was able to create ice blocks around the soldier's feet that could not be broken.

The swords of the Green Ninja and the Queen of Darkness clashed repeatedly as their duel intensified. Neither said a word; Rikayla was intent only on harming James and James was intent only on deterring Rikayla so that he could try to tend to Zee.

Eventually, James was able to get Rikayla's sword out of her hand and she appeared defenseless. Then, she pulled a throwing knife out of thin air and threw it at James, grazing his left cheek but not doing any more damage than that.

She was barely able to retrieve the Hammer of Night when the Green Ninja was ready to attack her again.

She blocked his powerful downward slash and rolled out of the way of his following attack to get some distance, but he was fast and hit her in the soft spot behind the left shoulder blade with the hilt of his sword.

Rikayla hissed in pain and the two stared each other down.

"Be gone from here," said the Green Ninja. "You can't win, Rikayla. And you know it."

"No… I can't," Rikayla conceded. "Not yet."

She and the Imperia transformed into a large cloud of black smoke and disappeared away from Clanton.

Immediately, Lloyd lifted Zee into his arms (his Golden power makes him immune to such Darkness) and the Guardians returned home.

Morro was in hysterics upon seeing the fearful and unresponsive eyes of his love. Zee was taken into the Gold Room, where there resided the most concentrated amount of Golden Elemental Energy, and laid upon the floor in the center of the room.

"Can you get it out of her?" Morro asked desperately, tears flowing freely down his and several others' faces.

"I think so…" said James, apprehensive of whether it was possible to remove this magnitude of Darkness from a person.

"Lloyd and I will do everything we possibly can, Morro. I promise that to you… This just happened all so fast…"

* * *

**Well… that got really dramatic…**

**Once again, I'll say that if you find yourself confused by some of the things that Rikayla says, just remember that she knows A LOT more than the Guardians/Ninja and she also knows a lot more than the audience. But pay attention to her ambiguous speech! Almost everything she says is crucial to the story line!**

**I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, but no promises… I would've just continued this chapter to include whatever is going to happen immediately after this, but it is currently after 11:00 pm and I'm exhausted!**

**So, 'til next time! Leave a review, tell your friends!**

**God Bless.**

**ROLL TIDE**


	10. X: Relief and Doom

_**Heyyy… how's everyone doing?**_

_**I know it has been an eternity since I wrote a new chapter, and I apologize for this. Pursuing a music degree takes a lot of time… not complaining at all, I love studying music at the University of Alabama. It just takes up a lot of my writing time, which means I have to take breaks. I'm also working on a world-merging story about Mario and the Legend of Zelda, which is in progress on FanFiction as well.**_

_**But I'm back here today! And I hope y'all will enjoy this new chapter, and I hope you'll be kind enough to let me know your thoughts in a review after reading. Thanks for being here, everyone!**_

_**Announcements at the bottom.**_

* * *

**THE GUARDIANS**

**Part One: The Eight.**

_Chapter X. Relief and Doom._

* * *

Horrible screeching noises filled the Gold Room, emanating from the evil that had invaded Zee's body. The evil was reacting angrily to being in the Gold Room, where light energy was abundant.

For the twelfth time, James ripped a huge cloud of darkness out of Zee and Lloyd destroyed it. It looked like it was almost gone from her, but there was no telling how much the darkness had damaged her.

James and Lloyd were exhausted, and Morro was terrified. Everyone was in the Gold Room, including Diana, who had shown up at the house after seeing a strange black cloud loom over the Clanton area. She looked determined to get something off her chest, but she quickly discovered that she arrived at the wrong time.

"Lloyd," James panted. "I think two more pulls might do it, if we do it fast enough; it's growing. You ready?"

Lloyd nodded, also panting.

The Green Ninja pulled darkness out, and the Golden Ninja destroyed it immediately. No sooner had Lloyd done this than James had already pulled the next cloud. Hoping this was the last of it, Lloyd focused more energy than he had previously used to obliterate it.

The screeching stopped, indicating that the darkness was gone, and James collapsed onto the floor—still conscious, but exhausted.

Lloyd broke the unbearable silence.

"She's clean, and alive."

The Guardians and company rushed to the three in the center of the room, expressing their relief for the absence of darkness and concern over Zee's recovery.

"I believe she'll be fine," James said. "She may sleep for a day or two, but if she stays in the Gold Room until she wakes, the darkness won't leave permanent damage."

Morro began crying softly, kneeling by Zee and softly touching her face.

"You're okay," he said. "I'm here, he fixed you. You're going to be okay."

It was more to himself than anything else, but he hoped she could hear his voice.

Morro felt a hand on his back and turned around to see the Green Ninja offering support.

"Thank you…" Morro choked out. "For a moment, I thought…"

He couldn't finish. More tears streamed down his face.

"Morro, I'm sorry this happened."

He then addressed the whole group.

"The difficulty of the fight we are facing is becoming increasingly clear each day. I fear Rikayla's power is growing. We must make absolutely certain that we are preparing ourselves to fend off her wrath from consuming the universe."

"James," Diana spoke, for the first time.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Can we speak outside? We need to talk, now."

"No problem, let's go."

Everyone left the Elemental Temple (except Morro, who wanted to stay in the Gold Room with Zee a while longer), and James and Diana went outside.

"Something's up…" Jay remarked.

"Up?" Nya asked.

"Yeah… something in the air just changed. And I feel… angry. But I have no idea why."

"I concur," Cole agreed. "I feel like I've been robbed, but I don't know why."

The other Guardians voiced agreement that something was suddenly different in the very air around them.

"I feel cold inside," Lloyd added.

"It seems exclusive to you Guardians… is she close?" Nya asked, not needing to clarify who 'she' was.

"No," Kai replied. "Her presence is a very distinct feeling. This feels like anger and confusion. Like… I'm travelling and someone stole my map."

"I feel lost, and afraid," Casey added.

"I know I haven't actually learned much of anything," Darrell said. "But I feel like something's off too."

"Yeah," Jay replied. "Something's up…"

* * *

"You're leaving me now?"

The Green Ninja was exasperated, and a bit angry, at Diana for suggesting this. They were on the front porch; as such, no one could hear their conversation.

"Not three days ago you were telling me that you would always be here for me; what happened?"

"Look James," Diana sighed. "I'm starting to think you can't keep all your promises. You promised to protect me, but you couldn't protect Zee. She almost died."

"Zee is a part of the family and we will protect each other as much as we can, but we have duties to fulfil and she knew the risks when she accepted the commission."

"That doesn't change the fact that she got hurt; it looks like you can't protect your team, so why am I supposed to believe you when you say you'll always be here to protect me?"

"Do you not understand that I'm doing everything I can? I am not all-powerful, and I never will be. The only power I truly have is the power to do the right thing. If I must do that without you by my side… then so be it."

James started to go back into the house, but Diana stopped him.

"Not so fast. You're going to keep one promise. Remember what you promised you would do in the case that we broke up?"

"That's right. I said I would sever the Elemental connection between us so that the forces of darkness would never be able to use that connection against us. But there's something you don't understand."

"And what is that, _Green Ninja_?" she asked in a biting tone.

"It was the only thing keeping Rikayla's full powers out of this world. And you severed it yourself when you led me out here. Now it's gone, and you may have doomed us all."

Without another word, James entered the house and left Diana to drive herself home.

* * *

_**Due to developments in the plot, I have decided to not write a backstory on James and Diana's relationship after all. Being that she obviously is no longer connected, it wouldn't make much sense to use up everyone's time telling extra stories about her.**_

_**If you like romance, however, I do have a story called "Romance One-shots." There is only one right now, but I am hoping to expand it soon with a Morro & Zee story. Requests are open for that series, but preferably only for couples that are in my series. For now, these include:**_

_**Jay & Nya.  
Garmadon & Misako.  
Morro & Zee (in the works).**_

_**Y'all have a wonderful day/night (whichever it is for you), and I will see y'all next time!**_

_**God Bless and Roll Tide.**_


	11. XI: The Real Beginning

_**Hey, hope y'all are well. I am not; it's been constantly raining for the last few weeks here in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and my allergies have had enough of it. I hope, wherever you may be, that you are dry, warm, and have working airways!**_

_**This will be the final chapter of this story in the War for Creation Chronicles (more on the series at the bottom).**_

_**Thanks to Zena Airale and VickyT36 for leaving comments on this story!**_

* * *

**THE GUARDIANS**

**Part One: The Eight**

_Chapter XI. The Real Beginning._

* * *

"Tenebris…" the Queen of Darkness gasped. She and her commander had been walking through her castle discussing their next move.

"Something wrong, your highness?" he tentatively responded.

"Quite the opposite. My plan has worked more perfectly than I expected. I need to make a quick trip to express my gratitude to an old friend. Keep an eye on that human policeman… prepare him for infection while I am gone. I will return shortly."

With that, Rikayla teleported away from the Realm of Madness and onto a familiar porch. She had been in this house very recently in an attempt to draw out the Green Ninja so that she could assess his powers and plan accordingly. Her plan was successful; she learned that he was too powerful to face because of the connection of his heart to this female.

Rikayla was also connected to this girl, in a different way. Diana was the key to the Green Ninja's powers, but also the lock on Rikayla's powers. She strengthened the Green Ninja and weakened Rikayla.

But now, the Queen of Darkness sensed no more restraint. Her plan to scare the girl off by hurting both her and a Guardian seemed to have worked flawlessly. Now, she and her enemy were equal.

The door to the girl's house opened at Rikayla's will, but it was not enough for the door to be opened. Rikayla snatched the door from its hinges, melting it in her hands.

This caused a commotion for the family sitting in the living room, watching TV together, now alarmed. Diana seemed most afraid.

"What are you doing here?" Diana stuttered, trying to be defiant.

Rikayla said nothing, only grinning sadistically and disappearing into black smoke. When she had left the house, the door she had destroyed reformed before the family's eyes.

"What was that all about?" asked a family member.

"She just wants us to know that she can always hurt us…" Diana answered, trembling.

* * *

"What do we do now?"

Lloyd's question was a double-edged sword, and he knew that. The Eight Guardians and the rest of the ninja were all in the living room (minus Zee, who was still unconscious and being tended to by her faithful Morro). The Guardians were all found, yet they wondered if that was all in vain after the Green Ninja announced what had just happened on the front porch minutes ago.

"It's only a matter of time," James explained. "Before Rikayla discovers that there's now nothing stopping her from unleashing her full power into the Realms. For now, all we can do is hope she doesn't know, and train. It is together that we grow stronger; and once we are powerful enough and have achieved true mastery over our elements—even more mastery than we have now—the Weapons will begin to reveal themselves."

The Guardians solemnly nodded to each other, knowing that the fight ahead would be intense and difficult. Each knew what they were risking in their service to the Realms, and this only made each of them all the more courageous.

Garmadon felt the need to break the silence.

"The battle against the darkness approaches, but I know that each and every one of you will be ready when it comes."

* * *

On a calm late-September evening, Sensei Wu sipped tea on the porch of the house that his students had created using the Tornado of Creation nearing a year ago, reflecting on the quietness of the house and the events unfolding in the Realm of Earth in the past few months.

In all his wisdom, Wu was able to observe his pupils and their new friends while they were in the other realm, and he was infinitely proud of every one of them. He was absolutely confident in their ability to stand up and stop the spread of darkness.

He was also not surprised to see a cloud of the purest blackness growing on the western horizon where the Sun had just set. It disappeared shortly thereafter, but it was there long enough for Wu to understand what it meant.

"Now," Wu thought aloud. "The real war has begun. Let us hope the Guardians will grow strong enough to finish this."

* * *

_**And, with that, another step is taken. The Guardians have been assembled, and now the Golden Weapons await their masters.**_

_**As with the end of every story in the series, I will re-post the list of stories in the series below:**_

**Reformation  
Revelation  
The Green Ninja's World  
THE GUARDIANS Part One: The Eight **_**(this one)**_**  
THE GUARDIANS Part Two: The Weapons  
THE GUARDIANS Part Three: The Army  
The Fate of Creation**

_**So, we are officially halfway through the series! If you like this series so far, also be sure to check out my always-in-progress **_**Romance One-shots **_**and **_**Heroes in the South, **_**which both feature little stories set in the same universe as the series.**_

_**I will see y'all in the next story, **_**THE GUARDIANS Part Two: The Weapons!**

_**Until then, have a great day, hug a loved one, and accomplish a goal!**_

_**God Bless.**_


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